While the NRA Was on TV Talking About the Need for More Guns Some Guy Was Walking Up and Down a Road in Pennsylvania Shooting People — The National Rifle Association today held its first press conference since last week's deadly shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary, and the takeaway was clear: We need more guns.

Journalists slam NRA throughout press conference — When National Rifle Association Wayne LaPierre leader took the stage on Friday to address the media about last week's elementary school massacre, he made it clear multiple times that the organization has issues with how the press reports on guns.

How Many People Have Been Killed by Guns Since Newtown? — Slate partners with @GunDeaths for an interactive, crowdsourced tally of the toll firearms have taken since Dec. 14. — Since the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn., on Dec. 14, we at Slate have been wondering …

Inside the Meltdown — “How the hell can you do this?” — • followers — At a quarter to 8 p.m. on Thursday night, House Republicans gathered in the Capitol basement for an urgent, closed-door conference meeting. The scene was hushed and confused.

The humiliation of John Boehner — He's powerless, and his own party continues to make him look like a fool. Maybe he'll just walk away — Last night was hardly the first public humiliation that John Boehner has suffered at the hands of his fellow Republicans, but it's probably the most stark.

Obama Nominates Kerry for Secretary of State — WASHINGTON — President Obama nominated Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts as secretary of state, choosing an elder of the Democratic Party's foreign policy establishment and a crucial political ally in the Senate to succeed Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Chuck Hagel apologizes for gay slur — Former Sen. Chuck Hagel, seeking to preserve his viability for nomination as secretary of Defense, on Friday issued a strong apology for a gay slur in 1998 that turned some top Democratic activists against his potential selection.

4 dead in Blair Co. shooting; 3 troopers injured — Sponsored Links — BLAIR COUNTY, Pa. — The Blair County district attorney said that four people, including the alleged gunman, are dead after a series of shootings along a rural road on Friday. — The district attorney …

Community Resource Officer Called to “Back Lot” — Jefferson County Sheriff's Deputy Neil Gardner soon would complete his second year as the uniformed community resource officer assigned to Columbine High School. Gardner, a 15-year veteran of the Sheriff's Office, normally ate his lunch …

GQ Exclusive! Ben Affleck on Politics: “Ugly.” “Toxic.” “Horrendous.” “Complete Bullsh-t.” “I Don't Want To Run For Office.” — All this feverish speculation that Ben Affleck is ready to put himself forward as a candidate if John Kerry vacates his senate seat, does it really come from somewhere?

Marijuana, Not Yet Legal for Californians, Might as Well Be — LOS ANGELES — Let Colorado and Washington be the marijuana trailblazers. Let them struggle with the messy details of what it means to actually legalize the drug. Marijuana is, as a practical matter, already legal in much of California.

With Farm Bill Stalled, Consumers May Face Soaring Milk Prices — WASHINGTON — Forget the fiscal crisis and the automatic budget cuts. Come Jan. 1, there is a threat that milk prices could rise to $6 to $8 a gallon if Congress does not pass a new farm bill that amends farm policy dating back to the Truman presidency.

The Single Best Anti-Gun-Death Policy? Ending the Drug War — Universal gun confiscation is impossible, and even aggressive gun control might not dramatically reduce gun-related deaths. But ending our ridiculous and expensive war on drugs could. — Reuters — This is not a column against gun control.

World survives as Maya ‘end of days’ marked in Mexico — Mayan calendar believers prep for end of the world — Tourists arrive in Sirince in western Turkey, believed to be one of the few places on earth not affected ... CHICHEN ITZA, Mexico (Reuters) - Thousands of mystics …

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